Culture

Our Topics




Our Topics

1. Touristic Information;
2. Geography;
3. Food and Drink;
4. Traditional Music
5. Sport;
6. Arts;
7. Touristic Attractions;
8. Festivals;
9. Folkore and Traditions


Touristic Information

Travelling in Calabria, our region, means travelling through a land whose landscape, climate and ethnic composition change suddenly. It is certainly one of the most amazing regions in Italy. The roughness of its territory, environment, and landscape decreases along the way which leads from the mountains to the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian sea. Its coasts are the real treasure of a land that can boast beautiful seaside resorts, exclusive villages, heavens of peace on white beaches, framed by a limpid sea, where generous and hospitable people live.
With this guide, we hope to be able to give you “a taste” of some of these attractions. In the meantime, we wish you to enjoy “your stay” in Sellia Marina and in our Region.


Geography

Sellia Marina is placed in the south-east of Italy, on the Ionic coast, in the middle of Squillace Gulf, where the ancient Magna Graecia civilization was born. It has got a population of about 6,000. This area is 42 square Kms and it includes a wide sandy coast, an overhanging plain and some hills in the hinterland. The trunk road, the “SS106” and the single-line railway to Reggio Calabria run between the hills and the plain.
Sellia Marina is 25 kms far from Catanzaro, that is the chief town, and 60 kms fom Lamezia Terme Airport.
Sellia Marina is valuable because it is near both the sea and the Sila mountains. In fact, our Calabrian National Park is just 1 hour long from Sellia Marina.

Some Economical Facts


Thanks to its geographical position and the territory features, Sellia Marina developed an agricultural economy: it is famous for its peach orchards of high quality, but also for its citrus and olive groves.
For long time its inhabitants, landowners and farmers, promoted the agriculture as the only economical
resource.
Only in the last thirty years, the “discovery” of the sea as a new economic resource, led to the birth of several holiday resorts and to the development of the tourism as great economic resource for this land.
Besides,there are 62 workshops and 139 artisan firms all around Sellia Marina and its hamlets. They manufacture: leather, marble, aluminium,wood, etc.

Food

Baccalà con patate e peperoni abbrustoliti

Dried salted cod with potatoes

Cod is one of the most used fish in traditional dishes, particularly during the winter. Sometimes, is is one of the 13 dishes of Christmas Eve Dinner

Ingredients for 6 people:

1 Kg dried salted cod soaked in water, peppers, 3 dl extra virgin olive oil, 800 g potatoes, 100 g flour, 30g chopped parsley, 100 g black olives, salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cut the cod into regular sized pieces,
Fry in hot oil. In the meantime peel and slice the potatoes then fry them in olive oil. Separately, in another pan, heat the rest of the oil, then fry the chopped and seeded dry peppers fpr a few swconds.
Dry them and lightly salt. When conked put the cod on a large plate and garnish with fried potato, peppers, chopped parsley and black olives.

Stew = Morsello

This dish has humble origins. Originally, in fact, it was a breakfast for the people of Catanzaro, who needed to have an energetic, nutrient enriched meal for a full mor¬ning of hard work in the fields. Later it was eaten as a late morning meal in restaurants in the historic centre, it was also a social occasion for the diners. Very often, it’s eaten during the festivities.
Morzeddu can be prepared in different ways: fried with tripe and internai parts cooked in tomato sauce, red wine and oregano and lots of chilli pepper; with fatty pork chopped with tomato and lots of chilli pepper, cooked on the hob (not in the oven). This recipe originates from Saracens, and is now popular throughout Calabria. It is eaten without a knife and fork as it is stuffed inside pitta (a soft, fiat doughnut shaped bread, without crusts). Originally pitta was cooked in the oven with normal bread and given as a gift to friends

Ingredients

700g beef tripe, 600g beef heart, lungs, spleen and intesti¬nes (in equal parts), 1 handful aromatic spring onion, chilli pepper, laurei, oregano, basi], 500g concentrateci toma¬to sauce, 2 di extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Method: Wash the beef interiors in cold water, put in a large pan of salted boiling water, remove and dry when is half cooked. For the second clean chop the interiors into pieces and wash again. Leave the water, used to boil the interiors, to cool, remove the fat which will have condensed on the top. Cook the collected fat in a pan with concentrated tomato sauce and chilli pepper, then add the interiors, brown for a few mins and cover with warm water. Continue to cook on a low heat and add some more water if necessary. When cooked season with oregano and fresh chilli pepper

Capretto alla Tiana = Pan Cooked Goat

This traditional dish from Catanzaro is prepared in a earthenware pan from which it takes its name. It’s served during many festivals and in particular during the Easter Christmas period.
Ingredients for 6 people: 1.2 Kg goat meat, 150 g peas, 200 g potatoes, 3 artichokes, 100 g grated stale bread, (seasoned with pecorino cheese, garlic olive oil, black pepper and parsley), 1 dl of extra virgin olive oil, 1 dl white wine, salt, black pepper and rosemary to taste, laurel and oregano.

Method: Clean and cut artichokes into quarters. Wash and the goat meat. Brown the meat in oil with onions, rosemary, oregano and laurel. Add wine and leave evaporating. 8oil and then brown the artichokes, the potato and peas separately. Then put the meat earthenware pan and add the vegetables on Cover with grated bread, parsley, garlic, a lot pecorino cheese, a pinch of pepper and drizzle with oil, Cook in the oven until/ the top is golden on all sides, remove and dry on absorbent paper. Serve hot.

Crispeddi

"Crispeddi" is a typical Christmas dish, but a Calabrian writing of the 1700s states that this dish ori¬ginally was served on the 8th December. Tradition says that "Crispeddi" should be mixed in the famous "Baunu or Bavunu", a terracotta container that has been varnished inside. Historically the eldest femsl in the family made the dish while the first person to try the dish was the head of the family (normally the eldest male). "Crispeddi" were made at midday on Christmas eve. There are other variations of "crispeddi" that are sweet or savoury with: ricotta cheese, sugar, honey, sultanas, dried tomatoes, etc. In the Jonic sea area of Reggio they were added to boiled and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

1 kg. "0" flour, 25g beer yeast, salt to taste, water, small glass of olive oli, 3008 boned and desalted salted ancho¬vies, frying oil.

Method

Dilute the yeast in a small container with warm water and a little salt. Add flour and a little olive oil, energeti¬cally mix from the bottom to the top for around 15 miss until a semi soft mixture is obtained. Lightly dampen the outside of the mixture with a little oil, cover well and leave to rest for around an hour when it should be well risen. Put oil in a tall pan; when the oil is hot start lo add the dough mixture in small pieces. Shaped by hand (dampened with cold water) and stuffed with anchovies. When the crespelle floats to the top of the oil and is golden on all sides, remove and dry on absorbent paper. Serve hot.


Pitta ‘nchiusa

This is a sweet stuffed with many ingredients, according to the tradition of various areas and cooked in the oven. It is typical of Catanzaro. In the village of Isola Capo Rizzuto (near Kroton), during the festival of the patron saint, which takes place annually on the last Sunday in May, every family continues the tradition of the "pitta 'chiusa“ which is served on the table in a mysterious atmo¬sphere.

Ingredients for 6 people

Pasta (dough) 1 glass olive oil, 2 eggs, 1 giass white moscato wine, 500g strong grain durum wheat flour, a pinch of salt, 1 smali bag chemical yeast.

Stuffing

200g chopped walnuts, 50g pine kernels, 100g sultanas, 250g honey, 100g sugar, 4 or 5 chopped and dried figs, a pinch of cinnamon.

Method

Warm oil and moscato wine, put in a salad bowl, add eggs, a pinch of salt and flour. Kneed (adding more flour if necessary) until a compact mixture is obtained and add yeast. Kneed again for a short time, divide into three pieces and roll out one piece into a circular shape and the other two into square sha¬pes.
On top of the two square shapes add a little stuffing, made by mixing the ingredients in a container. Cut the squares into rec¬tangles and roll up. Add the circular dough to an oiled tray dusted with flour. Stand the rolled up rectangles (they should look a little like flowers) on the circular dough, dust with sugar, cinnamon and drizzle with honey. Put closely together and lightly open the top part to form petals. Cook in the oven on a moderate heat and if, while cooking, the sweet starts to look a little dry add some honey dissolved in a little water.

Cuzzupa

Cuzzupa is a typical sweet of the Jonic coast and was originally presented to the fiancé by her future husband on his first visit to meet her parents. (It was a kind of fertility symbol demonstrating the future husbands ability to procrea¬te.) This sweet has many different shapes (hearts, baskets, etc), and is also typical during Easter and decorated with boiled eggs, in which the number has an exact significance. If there are seven eggs it means that a relationship is very near to becoming and engagement, if there are nine eggs it symbolises the promise of an engagement in the future. In the past they were accompanied with cured sausage

Ingredients

1 kg flour, 250g sugar, 200g oil or lard, 4 eggs, 2.5 dl milk, 2.5g beer yeast, 1 grated lemon peel, a drop of liqueur (any that you like)

Method

The evening before, with a small part of the flour, yeast and water make the first dough mix. The day after mix the dough with the rest of the ingredients and leave to rest. Form different shapes; decorate, in whichever way you like, with boiled eggs and fix the eggs with some strips of dough. Leave to rise, brush with egg white and cook in the oven at 180'.

Susumelle

Probably, the ingredients of this receipe, have oriental influences. The sweet is prepared during Christmas and served with nougat on a garnished tray. .

Ingredients for 6 people: 205 g of flor of the kind 00, 100 g. honey, 5 g. ammonia, 50 g. chopped black almonds, 10 g. mixed candies, 10 g. cocoa, 80 g. water, 400 g. dfark chocolate for icing, vanilla, cinnamon powder.

Method: On a work surfaace, make the flour into a fountain shape with a hole in the centre, add sugar, honey and the rest of the ingredients. Knead togheter to obtain a well mixed bread shape. Roll with both handsa until you havea long string shape and cut into small pieces. Work each piece into a egg shape. Baste a baking tray with butter and add the egg shaped dough. Bake for 15 min at 180° (Celsius degrees). Leave cooling and ice the outside with melted dark chocolate.

Scirubetta

Probably, the ingredients of this receipe, have oriental influences. The sweet is prepared during Christmas and served with nougat on a garnished tray. .

Ingredients for 6 people: 205 g of flor of the kind 00, 100 g. honey, 5 g. ammonia, 50 g. chopped black almonds, 10 g. mixed candies, 10 g. cocoa, 80 g. water, 400 g. dfark chocolate for icing, vanilla, cinnamon powder.

Method: On a work surfaace, make the flour into a fountain shape with a hole in the centre, add sugar, honey and the rest of the ingredients. Knead togheter to obtain a well mixed bread shape. Roll with both handsa until you havea long string shape and cut into small pieces. Work each piece into a egg shape. Baste a baking tray with butter and add the egg shaped dough. Bake for 15 min at 180° (Celsius degrees). Leave cooling and ice the outside with melted dark chocolate.

Other Typical Foods

Cheeses such as provola, butirri (soft cheese with a butter heart), pecorino cheese, the salumi such as the soppressata and the sausages are another typical aspects of local gastronomy.
Egg-plants are cooked in many ways, even with the pasta or stuffed and baked.
Among the sweets we must remember the “pitta n’chiusa”, a traditional Christmas cake, made with nuts and raisins and the “cozzupe”, traditional ring shaped Easter cakes.
Among the wines, we remember the Malvasia from Catanzaro, a sweet dessert wine and Cirò from Crotone, a red and a rosè wine well-known all over the world.

Tarantella

The tarantella is a traditional, southern Italian dance of 6/8 or 4/4 time, characterised by the rapid whirling of couples. There are several local variations of this dance, including the widespread Neapolitan (from Naples) and Sicilian varieties, and others including the Apulian and Calabrian tarantellas. This dance is a staple of some old-fashioned Southern Italian weddings. It resembles contra dance in that it is led by a caller (central singer/speaker) and may share similar figures[citation needed]. A tarantella is also a song that can be played by instrumentalists. Sometimes the word used for the song is taranta ("tarantella" is in fact a diminutive dialectal form for "tarantula", a common kind of spider).
The tarantella is named after city of Taranto in southern Italy, and is popularly associated with the large local wolf spider or "tarantula" spider (Lycosa tarantula) whose bite was allegedly deadly and could be cured only by frenetic dancing (see tarantism). One variation of the legend said the dancer must dance the most joyous dance of her life or she would die, another says the dancer will go in to the most joyous dance of her life before she dies. In actual fact the spider's venom is not dangerous enough to cause any severe effects. The spiders, far from being aggressive, avoid human contact.

Spiders and Dance

Dancing the tarantella alone was said to be unlucky, and thus it was always a couples dance, involving either a man and a woman, or two women. The tarantella is a circle dance, performed clockwise until the music in the set changes to become faster, after which everyone changes direction. This cycle occurs several times, eventually becoming so fast that it is very difficult to keep up with the beat. The music is generally led by a mandolin
Despite some speculative accounts, there are no arachnids known to have hallucinogenic venom. Instances of dancing mania however, have been explained as ergot intoxication, or ergotism, known in the Middle Ages as "St. Anthony's Fire" which is caused by eating rye infected with Claviceps purpurea, a small fungus that contains toxic and psychoactive chemicals (alkaloids), including lysergic acid (used in modern times to synthesize LSD). Whether unusual psychological states caused by these or other agents were sometimes mistaken for the effects of spider bites is unknown.

The Folk Dance

Folk dance is a term used to describe a large number of dances, mostly of European origin, that tend to share the following attributes:
They were originally danced in about the 19th century or earlier (or are, in any case, not currently copyrighted);
Their performance is dominated by an inherited tradition rather than by innovation;
They were danced by common people and not exclusively by aristocracy;
They have been developed spontaneously and there is no governing body that has final say over what "the dance" is or who is authorized to teach it. This also means that no one has the final say over the definition of folk dance or the minimum age for such dances.
Folk dances are traditionally performed during social events by people with little or no professional training. New dancers often learn informally by observing others and/or receiving help from others. Folk dancing is viewed as more of a social activity rather than competitive, although there are professional and semi-professional folk dance groups, and occasional folk dance competitions.
The term "folk dance" is sometimes applied to certain dances of historical importance in European culture and history; typically originated before 20th century. For other cultures the terms "ethnic dance" or "traditional dance" are sometimes used, although the latter terms may encompass ceremonial dances.
There are a number of modern dances, such as hip hop dance, that evolve spontaneously, but the term "folk dance" is generally not applied to them, and the terms "street dance" or "vernacular dance" are used instead. The term "folk dance" is reserved for dances which are to a significant degree bound by European tradition and originated in the times when the distinction existed between the dances of "common folk" and the dances of the "high society".
A number of modern ballroom dances originated from folk ones.
The terms "ethnic" and "traditional" are used when it is required to emphasize the cultural roots of the dance. In this sense, nearly all folk dances are ethnic ones. If some dances, such as polka, cross ethnic boundaries and even cross the boundary between "folk" and "ballroom dance", ethnic differences are often considerable enough to mention, e.g., Czech polka vs. German polka.
Not all ethnic dances are folk dances; for example, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances.Ritual dances are usually called "Religious dances" because of their purpose

Olimpic Games (Old and New Sports in Italy)

The ancient Olympic Games were primarily a part of a religious festival in honour of Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. The festival and the games were held in Olympia, a rural sanctuary site in the western Peloponnesos.
The Greeks that came to the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke the same language. The athletes were all male citizens of the city-states from every corner of the Greek world, coming from as far away as Iberia (Spain) in the west and the Black Sea (Turkey) in the east.
The ancient Olympic Games began in the year 776 BC. According to some literary traditions, this was the only athletic event of the games for the first 13 Olympic festivals or until 724 BC. From 776 BC, the Games were held in Olympia every four years for almost 12 centuries. Contrary evidences, both literary and archaeological, suggest that the games may have existed at Olympia much earlier than this date, perhaps as early as the 10th or 9th century BC.
Kroton’s Position
In the major Panhellenic festival the name Kroton became synonymous of health and athletic prowess.
The ancient Games' glamour event was the stadium race of approximately 200 meters in that Kroton won 12 of 27 races in this event. In one Olympic meet, the first seven finishers in the stadium were from Kroton, prompting the saying, "The last of the Krotoniates wast he first among all other Greeks."

The Athletes

The most celebrated athlete of that period was Milo of Kroton, a wrestler whose achievements and feats of strength became legend. He was born in the Greek colony of Croton in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). He was six times Olympic wrestling champion. He first won in 540 B.C., in the youth wrestling event, and then five times in men's wrestling. This is a unique achievement even in today's competition context. He also won seven times in the Pythian Games, nine times in the Nemean Games, ten times in the Isthmian Games and innumerable times in small competitions.
In the 67th Olympiad (512 B.C.), in his seventh attempt for the championship, he lost to a younger athlete, Timasitheus. There are many accounts of his achievements. Krotoniates excelled in many sports. An athlete named Phalos once awed the crowd by overleaping the long-jump pit in the Pythian Games at Delphi.
Alas, poor Phalos, he broke his leg in the process. He never won at Olympia, either. In 480, when he was in his prime, he skipped the Games and commanded a ship at the Battle of Salamis, helping to save Greece from the invading Persians.
Astylos was a double winner in both the 488 and 484 Olympic Games, placing first in the stadium and the diaulos, a race of approximately 400 meters. In the 480 Olympiad he won the double again
Kroton's domination ended suddenly. No Krotoniate won a victory in any of the four Grand Slam festivals after 480. Historians surmise that a decline in wealth and power forced the people to abandon leisurely pursuits like athletics, but sports fans can imagine other scenarios.
The beginning of the end of Kroton's athletic hegemony came with a runner named Astylos
Astylos of Kroton won a total of six victory olive wreaths in three Olympiads (488-480 B.C.) in the stade and the diaulos (twice the stade) events. In the first Olympiad, he ran for Kroton and his compatriots honoured and glorified him. In the two successive Olympiads, however, he took part as a citizen of Syracuse. The people of Kroton punished him by demolishing his statue in their city and converting his house into a prison.
Though its power declined, Kroton's endured to the end of the classical era.

Kroton’s Preminence Factors

A number of factors apparently contributed to the Krotoniates' athletic preeminence. At the beginning of the sixth century B.C., Kroton was a prosperous center of sea and agricultural trade, so the citizens were rich enough to have time to spend on sports. Athletic competitions held during the festival of a local deity, the Lacinian Hera, provided young Krotoniates with an Olympic dress rehearsal comparable to East Germany's Spartakiade. But many other Greek settlements also were wealthy and had similar competitions..
Kroton's edge on its rivals was sports medicine. The city was the site of a medical school that was reputed to produce some of the best doctors of the ancient world. At that time, medical practice consisted largely of regulating a patient's diet and daily regimen. Physicians learned about the human body observing athletes in the gymnasium; in return they offered training advice. Thus, citizens of Kroton became the classical world's most physically fit.

Sport and Philosophy

Sport also found encouragement in a philosophy, Pythagoreanism, that was popular among Krotoniates. Pythagoras aimed for a healthy balance between mind and body. Pythagoreans recommended daily workouts involving running, wrestling and jumping, as well as a strict diet.
From Ancient to Modern
Although the ancient Games were staged in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BC to 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The man responsible for its rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who presented the idea in 1894.

The Olimpic Flame

The idea of the Olympic torch or Olympic Flame was first inaugurated in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. There was no torch relay in the ancient Olympic Games. There were known, however, torch relays in other ancient Greek athletic festivals including those held at Athens. The modern Olympic torch relay was first instituted at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
The Olympic Oath was introduced in 1920.

Sport Nowadays

In our society, young people usually find their idols in sports, cinema or among TV sports.
Most popular sports in Italy

WATER POLO

Water polo is an old sport.
The playground is a rectangular swimming pool that is 28m and the breadth is 18m; the water must be deep, for the official competitions, much less than 2,50m.
The goal is broad 3m; the ball weight 450g.
7 players constitute every team: 1 goalkeeper, 3 persons take up a defensive position and there are 3 forward.
Players have blue and black bonnets and only the goalkeeper has a red cap.
The match lasts 28 minutes of real match.
The beginning of the match is beautiful: every team is aligned on the line while the referee, who is on the board of the basin, throws the ball direct to the centre of the basin: and so starts the match.
The player throws the ball into the opposite goal.
There are, naturally, rules and limitations: there is a line, that is the outside and the player can’t cross this line but can sink, naturally with a limitation, the opposing player only if has the ball.
And it is forbidden if a player puts the ball under the water.
For this fault there is also the rigour.
The practice of this sport demands an exceptional physical quality and a great technical ability but especially the player must be strong, quick and capable of physical endurance.
In short, the water polo players have a tough physique.

SURFING

On summer, every year, I like surfing.
Surfing is one of the world’s most popular water sports.
It has spread from the island of Hawaii, where it originated, to beaches all over the world.
Newquay is the surfing capital of the U.K and thousand of surfers come here: it is the coolest place to be in Britain.
Surfing has been one of the most important sports of Newquay economy.
Every year it attracts more and more young people.
In Newquay, there is a big difference between serious surfers and the so-called "beach boys".
Serious surfers are different from beach boys.
They surf three times a day if possible, in winter and in summer, and they never seem to mind the cold weather.

RUGBY

Nowadays fifteen players in each team play rugby with an oval ball.
The players have to carry the ball across a goal line at the edge of the field or to kick it between the upright goal posts and above the crossbar.
The match must last 40 minutes for each half and the players must score the largest number of points.
It is so popular that in some cities a lot of people must buy tickets months in advance but it has recently become less popular because of football.
American football is called Professional Football and is characterised by sturdy players because this game is quite aggressive and they must be large
in order to play properly.
They should weigh not less than 110 kilograms;
Some years ago a famous American football player weighed more than 140 kilograms and was more than 2m tall.
There are differences between American Football and Rugby;
In American Football you must wear a helmet and big pads on your knees, while in the English rugby you wear no extra protection.
Another important variation is that in American Football if you are running without a ball, you can be tackled, on the contrary in English rugby you cannot tackle any player, unless he has the ball.

The Soccer

The soccer is a famous sport all over the world. It was born in England at the end of 19th century; the football association fixed its rules.
In Italy there are 18 teams in the "A" championship.
Each team is composed by 11 players play with a ball on a green field in which there is a penalty area in front of the goal, and it is outlined by some lines. Among the 11 players there are: a goalkeeper, who must defend the goal, the defenders, a right wing, a left wing, a centre-forward, who must score a goal.
There are 2 lines of men to control the game and a referee to whistle the kick off, the half time and the full time.
If a player commits a professional fault, there is a fault or a penalty.
If a player is too violent, he must be sent away, if a player is put off side, the opposite team can do a free kick.
If the ball is out next to the goals, the player must beat the corner.
The winner is the team that can score more goals.

Sculptors

Donatello or Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (1386?-1466), is an Italian Renaissance sculptor, who is generally considered one of the greatest sculptors of all time and the founder of modern sculpture. His works are generally based on a reliance on the models and principles of the sculpture of antiquity. It was in Florence, however, that he created the most noted work of his life—the bronze David (circa 1430-1435, Bargello), the first nude statue of the Renaissance.
Later, Donatello broke away from classical influence and in his work emphasized realism and the portrayal of character and of dramatic action. Notable examples of his sculpture of this period are Miracles of St. Anthony (Sant' Antonio, Padua); Gattamelata (in the square before Sant' Antonio), the first bronze equestrian statue since ancient times; and Judith and Holofernes (Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence).
The sculpture of Donatello influenced that of Florence and northern Italy in the 15th century. It was also a major stimulus on the development of realism in Italian painting. Donatello had many pupils and many of them became important, as Desiderio da Settignano and others.

Michelangelo (1475-1564), was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, and poet whose artistic accomplishments exerted a tremendous influence on his contemporaries and on subsequent European Art. Michelangelo considered the Male Nude to be the foremost subject in Art, and he explored its Range of movement and expression in every Medium. Even his architecture has a human aspect to it, in which a door, Window, or support May refer to the Face or Body, or the Position of architectural Elements May suggest muscular tension.
Michelangelo continually sought challenge, whether physical, artistic, or intellectual. He favored Media that required Hard physical labor—marble carving and Fresco painting. In painting figures, he chose poses that were especially difficult to draw. And he gave his Works several layers of meaning, by including Multiple references to mythology, religion, and other subjects. His Success in conquering the difficulties he Set for himself is remarkable, but he left many of his Works unfinished, as if he were defeated by his own ambition.
Benvenuto Cellini (1500-71), was a Florentine sculptor and engraver, who became one of the foremost goldsmiths of the Italian Renaissance, executing exquisitely crafted coins, jewelry, vases, and ornaments.He was a pupil of Michelangelo, for a while. He had many famous patrons, as Pope Clement VII, Pope Paul III, Francis I of France, and the Florentine noble Cosimo I de' Medici. Francis I invited him to Paris in 1540, where he modeled the bronze reliefs of the Nymph of Fontainebleau (Louvre, Paris). He had a colourful and turbulent life. He also executed an elaborate gold saltcellar for Francis (1540-1543, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna), many fine works in metal, among them a bronze portrait bust of Cosimo de’ Medici and the colossal bronze statue Perseus and Medusa (1545-54, Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence). He died in Florence, on 13 February 1571.
Gianluca Bernini was the outstanding personality of the baroque age; like Michelangelo, he was a child prodigy, had a long and prolific career, and was a painter, sculptor, and architect. Bernini's works are highly dramatic, and with a depth emotional expression. A strong interplay of light, shadow, and movement characterizes all of Bernini’s works, including Apollo and Daphne (1622-1624, Galleria Borghese, Rome), which also shows his incredible technical virtuosity in handling marble. One of his early works, David (1623-1624, Galleria Borghese), is, in sharp contrast to Michelangelo's restrained, classical representation of David, a self-contained contemplative figure, shown before his encounter with Goliath. Bernini's figure is frozen in motion, his attention riveted on the unseen adversary, his body twisting to throw the shot.
Many of Bernini’s largest sculptures are in Saint Peter Basilica , the colonnaded piazza of which he also designed; these works include the gigantic baldachin, or canopy (1624-1633), over the high altar, the enormous Cathedra Petri (Chair of Saint Peter, 1657-1666), several monumental statues of saints, and two papal tombs. One of his most celebrated creations, however, is the ornate Cornaro Chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome with its spectacular Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1645-1652). Bernini united the sensual with the spiritual experience in an unprecedented manner in this, his most theatrical work. His enormous output also includes portrait busts and several superb sculptured fountains in Rome, including the famous Fountain of the Four Rivers (1648-1651) in the Piazza
Antonio Canova (1757-1822) was an Italian sculptor, who was the leading exponent of neoclassicism. He took an active part in the current revival of interest in antique Greek and Roman styles. For such works as the tombs of Clement XIV (begun 1784, Santi Apostoli, Rome) and Clement XIII (begun 1787, Saint Peter's, Rome) and the Perseus with Medusa's Head (1801, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City), he became recognized as the foremost neoclassical sculptor of his day.
Umberto Boccioni (Reggio Calabria 1882-1916), Italian painter and sculptor, who was a leader of the futurist movement. He wrote the Technical Manifesto of Futuristic Painting (1910), in which he presented the group's revolutionary demand that artists free themselves from the past and embrace modern technological civilization, with its movement, speed, and dynamism. In his paintings, such as Dynamism of a Cyclist (circa 1913, G. Mattioli Collection, Milan), he conveyed a sense of movement by showing several stages of one kinetic sequence. He used complementary colors to create a glittering effect. In his sculpture Boccioni attempted to illustrate the interaction of a moving object with the space that surrounded it.

Touristic Attractions

Catanzaro, the Main Town: Catanzaro is 25 kms far from Sellia Maina. It is the administrative centre of Calabria and a hundred thousand people live here. The town is of Byzantine origin. Founded during the 9th century, it was captured in 1059 by Roberto il Guiscardo and became a Norman county and an important silk processing and trade centre. Afterwards it passed under various rules: the Angevin, the Aragonese, the French and the Bourbon. In 1820 and 1821, it took an active part in the Carbonari risings and in 1848 and 1860 in the struggle for the Bourbons’expulsion.
The old medieval suburb can be summed up in the St.Omobono Church built in the 12th century and the ruins of the castle built in 1060 by Roberto il Guiscardo. If we look for something more modern, we can have a look at the highest one bow bridge in Europe.

The Sila Piccola: Sila Piccola is an environmental oasis rich in winter sports resorts and summer holidays. In fact, the plentiful snow, that sometimes exceeds two metres, enables winter sports. In Summer, thanks to its mild climate, it attracts a lot of people eager to escape the summer hot.
The possibility to walk along its parks, the silence, the fresh and pure air, the tasty and genuine food attract more and more tourists, both for short and long stays.









Festivals and Local Celebrations

The “Cunfrunta” celebration: The feast is celebrated at Easter. The statue of the Virgin goes around the village until she meets the statue of St John who announces her that Christ is revived.

St Nicholas celebration: The feast is celebrated on the 25th, 26th and 27th of May. St.Nicholas’ statue is carried by four members of the congregation along the streets, in Sellia Marina. The congregation sings and prays along the way. People put beautiful and coloured blankets out of their windows and balconies.







Folklore






From village to village, Calabria offers a variety of different languages and culture and this is due to the origins of the people. In Calabria there are people of Greek and Albanian origins, but nowadays they are generally mixed with the Italian speaking people and so their origins are vanishing
Calabria's history is very reach and can be narrated in different ways.
Some constant elements can be found in Calabrian traditions: Carnival feasts are rare and often are overlapped to pigs slaughtering as a way to exorcise sorrows and problems.
On the contrary the processions during the Holy Week are very diffused: this clearly underlines the deep link to religion and the incapacity to free anxiety into transgression. Famous are the processions at NOCERA TERINESE (CZ), POLISTENA (RC), LAINO BORGO (CS), PLATI' (RC), CASSANO (CS). At Easter you can see the so-called "AFFRUNTATA" that is the meeting between Christ Resurrected and His Mother.).
In the province of Catanzaro you can assist the "PIGGHIATA" that is Christ caught before His Passion.

Some Beliefs : malocchio, OR “evil eye,” IS an illness brought about either unintentionally or by malice. In a first instance, it can result from simple envy or jealousy. In a second instance, it can be evoked by “attaccatura” (attachment), “fascino” or “legatura” (binding), or “fattura” (fixing). The perpetrator of malocchio dominates the victim’s body by one of these three mechanisms, producing such maladies as “dryness,” which might take the form of barrenness, the inability to have or bear children. Especially vulnerable to “malocchio” are new brides, pregnant women, and even livestock -- if they evoke envy on the part of someone who knows how to cast the “evil eye.”
It is believed that hunchbacks know how to GENRATE malocchio. Priests also have this ability and will practice it if they lose their moral bearings.








Pliny the Elder, an old Roman writer, wrote about women who could transform themselves into birds of prey, flying by night, looking for babies to slaughter. The Inquisitors, who prosecuted women suspected of practicing witchcraft, promulgated belief in this folkloric witch, and these women still appear in local folktales, being referred to as streghe. These women have the power to give people malocchio, so are highly feared. There are a few male streghe, and sometimes streghe of either gender transform themselves into animals rather than birds.